Dexter Highlights Its DexTemp 1000 IR Temperature Monitor

Finding an accurate thermometer that can measure temperature at a distance is hard to come by, especially if you don’t have the pockets to shell out thousands of dollars for military-grade sensors (the kind usually installed in fighter jets).

Some users of IR temperature sensors may not need that level of accuracy but are looking for something more affordable as well as smaller that has incredible accuracy in its own right. This is where Dexter Research Center shines, as the company released its DexTemp 1000 Non-Contact IR Temperature Monitor last month.

The DexTemp 1000 sensor module. (Source: Dexter Research Center)

The sensor is roughly the size of a Flash drive and projects an infrared beam that monitors the radiation emitted from the surface of an object at a distance. Dexter designed the sensor around a thermopile detector it developed that converts thermal energy into electrical energy by the temperature differences (gradient) between both sides of the device.

The voltage produced by the DexTemp 1000 due to the temperature gradient taken by the IR beam is then translated into a real-time graph that allows the user to monitor and record said object's radiation temperature. The sensor is connected to a PC through a USB connection, which is used in conjunction with Dexter Research Center’s software on Windows-based systems.

Those who think Dexter’s temperature sensor is still too large for application purposes may want to take a look at Thermodo -- an ultra-small electric thermometer capable of taking the ambient temperature readings in your immediate area. The thermometer, designed by Robocat, uses a plug-in temperature sensor (coupled with a convenient carrying key ring for portability) that connects to your mobile device’s headphone jack. Once connected, the device automatically starts to monitor the temperature in your area and can be monitored on your mobile device using an app that displays real-time temperature information in a graph form. This allows the users to garner temperature information in their local areas instead of using weather reports from local stations located miles away.

Robocat successfully funded Thermodo on Kickstarter, surpassing its initial goal of US$35,000 with more than $330,000 in pledges. Prices start at $19 for the Black Edition all the way up to $2,999, which nets you a personalized Anodized Aluminum Edition (multiple colors will be available) with your name engraved on it, as well as becoming a consultant of sorts for the Robocat team in refining the Thermodo. At that price level, backers also receive a tour of Copenhagen (where the Robocat office is located), ending with dinner with the design team. The estimated release date for those who have backed the project is sometime in August of this year, with no word yet when it will become available to the public.

That's pretty good -- new technollogy supported by Kickstarter. I didn't realize the site was supporting this type of new technology. It's also interesting to see a that a device that needed $35,000 actually received more than $300,000.

The story says "projects an infrared beam that monitors the radiation emitted from the surface of an object at a distance".

Actually, non-contact infrared temperature sensors simply monitor the black body radiation emitted by all objects to determine their temperature. They do not "project an infrared beam". All objects emit infrared photons, and the sensor picks them up. As the temperature of an object increases, the photons are no longer in the infrared and they become visible. We call this "red hot". If they get really hot, we call them "white hot" because the photons emitted are white in color. The shape of the spectrum emitted follows a charateristic curve, and if you can take measurements at at least two different wavelengths, you can calculate the temperature. There are also thermometers that make measurements of absolute energy at at one wavelength.

Regardless, all of the non-contact thermometers simply monitor photons emitted by objects. They do not project an infrared beam.

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